Students at government-run tribal residential schools have been invited to debate how modern education is diluting India's indigenous knowledge, a topic seen as one of the central agendas of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

According to The Telegraph, the National Education Society for Tribal Students (NESTS) wants schools to debate "Modern Education is Diluting Indigenous Knowledge Systems", during the EMRS National Cultural & Literary Fest and Kala Utsav 2025.

Currently, the NESTS, an organisation under the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs, operates around 400 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) across the country.

According to NESTS criteria, students from classes 9 to 12 will participate in the debate, which will be held in November.

“In the debate competition, separate winners will be declared for ‘for the motion’ and ‘against the motion’ in both Hindi and English categories,” says the guidelines issued by NESTS.

However, academics have stated that the subject of the debate is predicated on a faulty assumption that modern education is opposed to indigenous knowledge in India.

“The topic has been approached by looking at indigenous knowledge in the narrow prism of Brahmanism. The Vedic tradition of education and knowledge creation has thrived on the metaphysical concepts of Brahma, Parambrahma, past life, and karma. The gurukul system was exclusionary as the majority of the people were restricted from entry,” YS Alone, a professor in the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) told The Telegraph.